


Cut Short

by QueenSweep



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Light Bondage, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, a lot of flirting and a little blood, incidental kink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-06 20:37:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16839976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenSweep/pseuds/QueenSweep
Summary: Link's got Rhett right where he wants him for a night of fun. Given his accident-prone nature, that may turn out to be a problem.





	Cut Short

“Comfy, bo?”

Even with the blindfold obscuring his sight, Rhett could hear the smile in Link’s voice. He tugged a bit at the soft leather cuffs fastening his wrists and ankles to the four corners of the king-size bed. A pair of fingertips slipped between the cuff and his left arm, testing the fit.

“I’m good,” he said, grinning into the darkness. “Just wondering what you’ve got planned.”

“It’s a surprise,” Link responded, low and sultry. Rhett felt a huge, warm hand stroking from the base of his throat down to his belly, coming to rest just below his navel. “You like surprises, don’t you?”

The warmth of the hand on his bare skin drew a sound almost like a purr from Rhett’s throat.

“I ain’t averse.”

“Good,” Link said with a laugh. He trailed his fingernails further down Rhett’s pelvis, teasing the short, soft curls but stopping just inches from his half-hard cock. Rhett groaned quietly and was silenced by soft lips on his own. The kiss started gentle but quickly turned heated, a game of tasting tongues and nipping at lips that ended far too quickly when Link pulled back, stepping away from the bed. Rhett shivered at the lost of heat and contact.

“You’re such a tease.”

“Don’t worry, I’m comin’ back,” Link said, lust transforming his voice into a drawl. “I’m just feelin’ a little overdressed at the moment.”

Rhett chuckled low in his throat and tilted his head back a bit further, shifting on the bed to stretch his shoulders and back. From somewhere past the end of the bed, he heard a series of small pops that he recognized as the press buttons of Link’s shirt being pulled apart. Sightless, he concentrated on the sounds of his lover undressing: the rustle of fabric being folded and placed on the chair in the corner, the soft thump of a sneaker being toed off and hitting the ground, the metallic clink of a belt buckle being unfastened. 

A hiss of pain. A pause. And then Link’s voice.

“Shit.”

Cold tendrils of concern began to take shape in Rhett’s stomach. He had heard Link curse, of course, more times than he could count. But this wasn’t an exclamation, a “shit, you’re sexy” or “shit, I can’t wait to see you squirm.” This was Link’s “shit, I’m so screwed” voice.

“Link? You okay?”

At first, the only response was an audible gulp and a chuckle that was too high-pitched for Rhett’s liking. When Link finally spoke, he sounded strained and breathy.

“I cut myself.”

“How did you do that?”

“My freakin’ belt buckle.” Another laugh, this one even weaker. “Seriously? It ain’t even sharp!”

“Is it bad?” Rhett asked, feeling his pulse start to pick up.

“Don’t know. It’s bleeding. Don’t really want to look at it.” Another pause, and another swallow. “I don’t feel so good.”

Shit is right, Rhett thought. “You oughta sit down, bo.”

“Yeah,” came Link’s dull response. Rhett heard the sound of fabric sliding against the far wall, followed by a quiet bump that he guessed was Link dropping the last few inches to the ground. Everything was silent for the space of a few breaths, then Link spoke again. “Think I’m going to need a hand. Can you get yourself out?”

Rhett took a deep breath and let it out slowly, steadying his nerves before responding.

“Yeah, yeah I think I can. Gimme a minute.”

A few months ago, when they first decided to find a safer option than random neckties or cheap prop handcuffs, they spent hours searching online for a set of proper restraints. Eventually they settled on the set Rhett wore now, all soft black leather and straps, with padded cuffs and shiny steel buckles. The thing that really sold Rhett on them, though, was the safety release system–-clasps that could be unlocked by the wearer in an emergency. Rhett had justified the extra expense to both of them: what if he put his back out while Link was tied down? Or what if Link fell and hit his head while Rhett was restrained? He’d read Stephen King’s Gerald’s Game, and had seen enough horror stories online to be convinced that the extra layout of cash was worth it. They’d both even tested the quick-release when the set first arrived, just to make sure that it really was possible to unlatch the cuffs from their anchor points while wearing them. They just hadn’t ever expected to really have to make use of that little feature. At least, not until now.

Rhett shifted on the bed, moving to his right as much as the straps would allow in order to give himself a little more slack. He twisted his right arm around as far as he could, long fingers searching for the clasp. He’d been able to see the damn thing when they tested it, but the blindfold made even locating it far more difficult. Seconds passed, and he grew more and more nervous, that cold knot of anxiety growing in his belly. Finally his fingers located the clasp and he began fiddling with it, searching for the right angle. Link had been quiet the whole time–-too quiet for Rhett’s liking, and he called out, “You still with me, bo?”

“I’m still here.” Link’s voice was muffled. “Kinda dizzy.”

“Put your head between your knees, man. Lower than your heart.”

“Way ahead of you,” Link slurred. 

Finally the clasp popped open and the D-ring fell free, releasing Rhett’s right hand from the bedpost. He pulled off the blindfold, squinting a bit even in the dimly lit bedroom. Link was sitting against the wall opposite the bed, shirtless but still in his jeans, doubled over with his knees pulled up and his head between them. His right arm was propped up on his knee, fully extended. Blood trickled between his fingertips and fell to the hardwood floor in slow but steady drops.

The sight both relieved Rhett, and worried him. It wasn’t a severe injury, obviously, but it was still unsettling to see Link like that, curled up all pale and woozy. He quickly began work on his other wrist cuff. It was much easier without the blindfold, and within seconds he was scooting down to the end of the bed to release his ankles as well. There was a bit more slack there, enough that he could pull one foot up slightly to get a better grip. His hands were sweating and slipping on the metal clasps and he wiped them on the bed sheet, cursing to himself before continuing. After another thirty seconds or so he was fully free, cuffs still wrapped around his wrists and ankles but no longer actually fastened to the bed. Then he was on his feet, crossing the room in three long strides to first kneel down, then sit back on his heels in front of Link.

“Okay, darlin’. Let me take a look,” Rhett murmured as he took Link’s bleeding hand in both of his own.

“Darlin’?” Link snorted at the term of endearment, giggling despite still being curled almost in half.

“Hush,” Rhett said softly, his brow still creased with worry. He turned Link’s hand over and examined the wound. It was a long gash into the meat of his palm, still oozing blood, but it didn’t seem too deep. He gently turned Link’s hand from side to side, considering for a moment.

“Please don’t tell me I need stitches or something, man.”

“Nah,” Rhett finally concluded, “It’s bleeding, but it’s not that bad. Think we can just bandage it.” He placed Link’s hand back on the man’s knee and stood up. “Lemme go grab the first aid kit. Just… take a few deep breaths or something. Don’t want you fainting the second I leave the room.”

Rhett heard another slightly loopy giggle behind him as he slipped into the ensuite bathroom and started rummaging around under the sink.

“How do you even cut yourself on a belt buckle, anyway?” he called back into the bedroom.

“No idea,” Link called back, his voice still muffled from the position of his head between his knees. “Like I said, it’s not even pointy or anything!”

“Am I going to have to start inspecting your belts for sharp edges now?”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Link’s voice was getting stronger–not having to look at the blood helped a lot, apparently. “But I think there’s a risk you might start inspectin’ something else.”

“Can’t say I wouldn’t be tempted,” Rhett responded with a smirk, his head fully in the cupboard beneath the bathroom sink now, searching. With a victorious shout, he reached in and pulled out a red plastic case marked FIRST AID. Returning the the bedroom, he settled himself in front of Link again, laid the case on the floor next to them, popped it open, and began pulling out supplies.

He picked up the big bottle of peroxide and a handful of cotton balls. “Gotta clean it up first. You know the drill. Pretty sure it’s going to sting, sorry.”

“Yeah, okay man, just get it over with,” Link sighed. He straightened up, leaning his head back against the wall but keeping his eyes closed.

“You doing okay?” Rhett asked as he opened the bottle and began to saturate the cotton with it.

“Long as I don’t have to look, yeah,” Link responded. “Hurts, though.”

Rhett took Link’s wrist in one hand and pinned it against the other man’s knee to keep him from moving as he applied the peroxide. Link hissed and swore under his breath, but held still as Rhett cleaned the injury.

Finally satisfied that he’d done a good job, Rhett set the bloody cotton balls down and picked up the tube of antibacterial ointment. With another clean cotton swab, he spread the goop over Link’s injury, taking care to wipe away the new blood that oozed out with renewed vigor after the thorough cleaning. The wound was too big for a mere band-aid, so Rhett pulled out a packet of sterile gauze and a roll of elastic tape. He opened the paper package, pulled out the gauze, and laid it over the wound.

“Here, hold that for a second so I can wrap your hand,” he instructed. Link opened his eyes a crack and gingerly held the gauze in place while Rhett opened the tape and began to wind the stretchy material around the shorter man’s hand. He wrapped it carefully, trying to get the tension right–not tight enough to cut off circulation, but still enough to hold the gauze in place and keep it from slipping around. Finally satisfied, he cut it away from the roll and pressed the end down to secure it.

“Okay, think that’s it. You can look again.”

Link opened his eyes fully and examined Rhett’s bandaging job, turning his hand this way and that. 

“Think it’ll scar?”

“Maybe. Scars are cool though. If anyone asks, tell them you got it in prison.”

“Then I’ll have to explain how I ended up in prison in the first place.”

Rhett grinned as he began to clean up, collecting the used bits of cotton and gathering all the supplies back into the first aid kit.

“Okay, tell ‘em you got it fighting a mountain lion.”

Link snorted, giggling again. “Better than admitting that I lost a fight with a belt.”

Rhett rose from the floor and walked back into the bathroom. He slipped the first aid kit back into its spot under the sink and threw away the used cotton balls and various wrappers. On his way back out, he realized he was still naked but for the cuffs, and grabbed his boxers from where they lay discarded next to the chair. He slipped them on, then went back over to where Link still sat against the wall and slid down to join him.

Link leaned against Rhett, cuddling into the taller man’s shoulder. “Guess I killed the mood, huh?”

Rhett chuckled and began to unbuckle the cuffs around his wrists. “Pretty much, yeah. It’s okay.” He pulled one cuff off and set it down at his side. “I still wanna know what you had planned, though.”

Link smirked up at him, blue eyes twinkling through a curtain of mussed black-and-silver hair. “Nuh-uh, you’re just going to have to wait until next time to find out.”

Rhett hummed, and the second cuff joined the first on the floor. Deciding to forget about the ankle cuffs for the moment, he draped an arm around Link’s shoulders, pulling the other man closer to his chest. “Does it require the use of that hand?”

“Maybe.” Link grinned and settled himself against his lover. Rhett tilted his head down just enough to plant a kiss on Link’s temple.

“Hope you heal quick, then.”


End file.
